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Senator, you're no Nichelle Nichols
Before I start talking, for those of you who haven't seent the Marvel/DC videos at youtube. You have to check these out. They are a parody of the Mac/PC commercials that we all love. First one's here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av6fWfmug
Anyways.... Every summer, there is a sci-fi convention in Maryland called Shore Leave (www.shore-leave.com). This convention is unique to all the others because there is a significant Trek fiction focus included with all the actor guests from Star Trek and all the other shows.
Living in New England, this may be the first time that I can actually consider going. It's very cheap, and I could drive down there. One of the primary appeals is getting to meet several of the names in Star Trek fiction. But also, several people from my favorite bulletin board (www.psiphi.org) also end up going each year. So I could meet online friends in a non-creepy way.
Each year, the number of announcements for upcoming projects tends to dwindle for 3-6 months leading up to the convention because the editors at Pocket want to wow the fans with upcoming fiction projects. So I was talking on the boards, trying to find out which day I should try to be there, and so forth.
The key Star Trek actor who will be there this year is Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura in the original Star Trek series. Well, Nichelle was very important both to the show and to a lot of fans for being a double minority. As an African and as a woman, her presence every episode manning the communication station was very important to a lot of viewers. She was Whoopi Goldberg's personal idol growing up (leading to Whoopi getting a stint on The Next Generation). And to add to her current Trek coolness, she recently featured in a Trek fan film that got a lot of publicity.
But to be honest, of all the people who have been on Star Trek over the years, Nichelle is pretty far down on my list of Trek people I'd like to meet. Perhaps it's unsympathetic of me, maybe it's cuz I'm a white male, but there's just not the personal impact there. I'd be much more attracted to the idea of meeting the likes of Jonathan Frakes, Avery Brooks, or Terry Farrell...people who mean more to my own Trek fandom.
So with these thoughts in my head, on the bulletin boards, I made the passing remark that I'd rather meet Keith than Nichelle. Keith R.A. DeCandido (KRAD) is one of the editors and recurring authors of the various Trek lines.
Needless to say, I've been getting a lot of ribbing.
On the book front, I've finished another Star Wars book. Two, in fact, I think, since I've posted last. A "new Star Wars" book about Darth Bane, one of the big names in Sith history. (The Sith are the anti-Jedi. Darth Vader was a Dark Lord of the Sith.) Taking place about 1000 years before the original trilogy, it tells the story of how Darth Bane discovers his Force abilities, enrolls in the Sith war against the Republic, and grows to become the most powerful Dark Lord of his day. I enjoyed it rather thoroughly. It's a standalone novel, so I didn't have to read anything else to follow the story. A comic series had been done a few years back which also touched on some of the same points. This book covered some of the same territory in such a way that corroborated the comic story but also precluded the need for any knowledge of it. Star Wars -- Darth Bane: Path of Destruction gets a definite recommend for any Star Wars fan.
And an "old Star Wars" book. The third in the trilogy, Lando Calrissian and the Cave of ThonBoka wraps up the pre-trilogy adventures of Lando Calrissian and his temporary droid partner Vuffi Raa. Pretty good, actually. I've enjoyed this trilogy, and this volume made up for some of the shortcomings of the second. Lots of plot. Lots of exotic sci-fi concepts with creatures that live in space, and most of the story taking place within a nebula, and such. Really only two quibbles -- too many plot threads to keep all the names firmly straight in my head, and the ending felt a little rushed. But it really was a good book. All the mysteries that the author had been lightly peppering through the course of the trilogy get resolved. And everything gets "reset" at the end of the story to make way for any other stories that want to be told about his days before losing the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo.
This means, now, that I've finished all the Star Wars books from the 80s. This was published in 1983, but Star Wars wouldn't put out another non-children's book until the post-Trilogy stories began in 1991. There are several comics in the meantime. Marvel did a lengthy series that I've been reading. And they do two smaller series called Droids and Ewoks that are meant to tie in to the cartoon series of the same name. And the two Ewoks films of the mid-80s are also on the list. So with comics, cartoons, and TV movies, my Sequential Star Wars project still has some time to spend in the 80s, but I do feel like I've finished an era.
Anyways.... Every summer, there is a sci-fi convention in Maryland called Shore Leave (www.shore-leave.com). This convention is unique to all the others because there is a significant Trek fiction focus included with all the actor guests from Star Trek and all the other shows.
Living in New England, this may be the first time that I can actually consider going. It's very cheap, and I could drive down there. One of the primary appeals is getting to meet several of the names in Star Trek fiction. But also, several people from my favorite bulletin board (www.psiphi.org) also end up going each year. So I could meet online friends in a non-creepy way.
Each year, the number of announcements for upcoming projects tends to dwindle for 3-6 months leading up to the convention because the editors at Pocket want to wow the fans with upcoming fiction projects. So I was talking on the boards, trying to find out which day I should try to be there, and so forth.
The key Star Trek actor who will be there this year is Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura in the original Star Trek series. Well, Nichelle was very important both to the show and to a lot of fans for being a double minority. As an African and as a woman, her presence every episode manning the communication station was very important to a lot of viewers. She was Whoopi Goldberg's personal idol growing up (leading to Whoopi getting a stint on The Next Generation). And to add to her current Trek coolness, she recently featured in a Trek fan film that got a lot of publicity.
But to be honest, of all the people who have been on Star Trek over the years, Nichelle is pretty far down on my list of Trek people I'd like to meet. Perhaps it's unsympathetic of me, maybe it's cuz I'm a white male, but there's just not the personal impact there. I'd be much more attracted to the idea of meeting the likes of Jonathan Frakes, Avery Brooks, or Terry Farrell...people who mean more to my own Trek fandom.
So with these thoughts in my head, on the bulletin boards, I made the passing remark that I'd rather meet Keith than Nichelle. Keith R.A. DeCandido (KRAD) is one of the editors and recurring authors of the various Trek lines.
Needless to say, I've been getting a lot of ribbing.
On the book front, I've finished another Star Wars book. Two, in fact, I think, since I've posted last. A "new Star Wars" book about Darth Bane, one of the big names in Sith history. (The Sith are the anti-Jedi. Darth Vader was a Dark Lord of the Sith.) Taking place about 1000 years before the original trilogy, it tells the story of how Darth Bane discovers his Force abilities, enrolls in the Sith war against the Republic, and grows to become the most powerful Dark Lord of his day. I enjoyed it rather thoroughly. It's a standalone novel, so I didn't have to read anything else to follow the story. A comic series had been done a few years back which also touched on some of the same points. This book covered some of the same territory in such a way that corroborated the comic story but also precluded the need for any knowledge of it. Star Wars -- Darth Bane: Path of Destruction gets a definite recommend for any Star Wars fan.
And an "old Star Wars" book. The third in the trilogy, Lando Calrissian and the Cave of ThonBoka wraps up the pre-trilogy adventures of Lando Calrissian and his temporary droid partner Vuffi Raa. Pretty good, actually. I've enjoyed this trilogy, and this volume made up for some of the shortcomings of the second. Lots of plot. Lots of exotic sci-fi concepts with creatures that live in space, and most of the story taking place within a nebula, and such. Really only two quibbles -- too many plot threads to keep all the names firmly straight in my head, and the ending felt a little rushed. But it really was a good book. All the mysteries that the author had been lightly peppering through the course of the trilogy get resolved. And everything gets "reset" at the end of the story to make way for any other stories that want to be told about his days before losing the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo.
This means, now, that I've finished all the Star Wars books from the 80s. This was published in 1983, but Star Wars wouldn't put out another non-children's book until the post-Trilogy stories began in 1991. There are several comics in the meantime. Marvel did a lengthy series that I've been reading. And they do two smaller series called Droids and Ewoks that are meant to tie in to the cartoon series of the same name. And the two Ewoks films of the mid-80s are also on the list. So with comics, cartoons, and TV movies, my Sequential Star Wars project still has some time to spend in the 80s, but I do feel like I've finished an era.
Han Solo and the Jungles of Kasshyyk
(Anonymous)
SERIOUSLY!
-Matt